GENESIS [N. 5747]

...the celestial, is evident from the signification of a "cup," which is meant by "this in which my lord drinketh," as being interior truth (see n. 5736); and from the representation of Joseph, who is here "my lord," as being the celestial of the spiritual celestial of the spiritual: a specific state of the soul where divine love (celestial) is expressed through clear truth (spiritual) (n. 5307, 5331, 5332), here the celestial, because interior truth is treated of, which is spiritual and proceeds from the celestial. That it was received is signified by the cup being placed at Joseph's command in the mouth of Benjamin's bag.

[2] They are accused as if they had taken the cup. The reason why they were so accused, although the cup had been placed there, is plain from the internal sense, which is this. The truth which is bestowed by the Lord is first received as if it were not bestowed; for before regeneration regeneration: the spiritual rebirth where a person's priorities shift from self-interest to love for God and others the man supposes that he procures truth for himself, and so long as he supposes this he is in spiritual theft. To claim good and truth to one's self, and to attribute them to one's self for righteousness and merit, is to take away from the Lord that which is His (see n. 2609, 4174, 5135). It was in order that this might be represented, that this thing was done by Joseph; but still their being accused of theft was in order that conjunction conjunction: the marriage-like union between different levels of the soul, such as the internal mind and the external life might be effected, for until man has been regenerated he cannot but so believe. He does indeed say with his lips from doctrine that all the truth of faith and good of charity are from the Lord, yet he does not believe it until faith has been implanted in good, when for the first time he acknowledges it from the heart.

[3] Confession from doctrine is quite another thing than confession from faith. Many, even those who are not in good, can confess from doctrine, for doctrine to them is merely knowledge; but none can confess from faith except those who are in spiritual good, that is, in charity toward the neighbor. That they were accused of theft in order to bring about conjunction, is plain also from the fact that Joseph thereby brought them back to him, and kept them awhile in thought about what they had done, and that he then manifested, that is conjoined, himself to them.

5748. And in which divining he divineth? original: "in quo divinando divinat", a Latinism reflecting a Hebrew intensive form, emphasizing the act of uncovering hidden knowledge That this signifies that the celestial knows hidden things from its Divine, is evident from the signification of "divining," as being to know hidden things. That it is from the Divine, is because the...